Sheriff’s Department misconduct-claim payouts have soared, topping $50 million last year

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, 9 APRIL 2017, FEAT. PROF. SETH STOUGHTON:

In one case, Los Angeles County paid more than $6 million to a woman who had been raped by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop.

In another, it took more than $7 million to resolve multiple lawsuits after deputies in West Hollywood mistakenly shot two hostages, killing one and seriously wounding the other.

Those payouts from 2016 helped drive a dramatic increase in the cost of resolving legal claims against the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department during the last five years, according to records reviewed by The Times.